Welcome to week 4. Happy Eid to all of our Muslim brothers and sisters! Ramadan ended last night, and today is the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, which means ‘festival to break the fast’. It will continue until Tuesday, June 27th at sundown. And if you’re (also) part of the LGBTQ community in …
Creating Inclusive Spaces
Inclusion Means Everyone
Last week at the Cities of Migration conference in Toronto, one of the panelists was Rachel Peric – the Deputy Director of Welcoming America. She and the organization were introduced as having helped to turn hostile communities into welcoming ones, which of course caught my attention right away. …
The usefulness of identity-based groups
Questions about identity-specific groups often come up when we talk about inclusion. These could be based on race, sexual orientation, age etc. Identity-based groups are often viewed with caution and the accusation of exclusion. Afterall, we don't want to go "backwards". I’d like to suggest they …
When it’s just not that funny…
We've all had the experience of making a comment that was intended to be funny, but that didn't land that way. Even among friends who we routinely joke with, sometimes we cross a line we didn't intend to. Sometimes because we didn't know it was there, or because we weren't paying attention, or we …
A Diversity Allegory
This week I heard a story that sparked my D&I interest. It's about insects, but bear with me, it's a great allegory for D&I! If you put bees and flies into a glass jar and put the bottom of the open jar against the window (so the open end is away from the window) on a sunny day, what do …
Mother’s Day – while celebrating inclusion
Thanks to my toddler I've had some interesting conversations with her Daycare teachers recently about being inclusive of all types of families. They are a great daycare and a super team, and don't mean to be exclusive - in fact, they regularly remind the kids if they are fighting over who gets to …
[Continue reading] Mother’s Day – while celebrating inclusion
What gets us into trouble…
On the weekend I was reminded of a great quote by Mark Twain: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Although I would argue that what we don't know can get us into trouble, the second half is particularly insightful when talking …
Freedom of Speech and Diversity
In the wake of the events in Paris, I'm thinking about freedom of speech. I'm not a cartoonist or a journalist. But what I do know is that it is a lot easier to make fun of, criticize, demean, or negatively highlight something or someone when they are "not like me". It's easier to point fingers, …
Why Tim Cook’s Coming Out is a Big Deal
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, just publicly announced that he is gay. While he hasn’t been closeted, per se, he felt it important to publicly acknowledge his sexual orientation. For those of you who wonder why this is a big deal, consider that he is the ONLY CEO in a Fortune 500 company to be out. …
The Similarities and Differences of Diversity
Last week I did a D&I workshop for TAVA (Toronto Association for Volunteer Administrators). The focus was on managing a diverse group of volunteers with an eye to inclusion. It was a great group. One of the participants brought up a point that I hear often - that she focuses on the similarities …
[Continue reading] The Similarities and Differences of Diversity